AMDGPU Has Another Round Of Updates Ahead Of Linux 5.2

[phoronix]

Phoronix: AMDGPU Has Another Round Of Updates Ahead Of Linux 5.2

Feature work on DRM-Next for the Linux 5.2 kernel cycle is winding down while today AMD has sent in what could be their last round of AMDGPU feature updates for this next kernel release...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=AMDGPU-Linux-5.2-More

[EarthMind]

I wonder if they're interested in bringing FreeSync over HDMI support and if it's on their roadmap. Windows has it, so I assume Linux will get it too?

[clapbr]

<rant>

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=102646 - Still waiting someone from AMD to talk about this 2 year old issue. I'm less and less inclined to ever buy another AMD gpu at this point. Every bug I´ve had reported by me and others requires constant begging to get any fix, meanwhile we constantly see a lot of work on the driver which means those issues that should be blockers have no priority at all for the dev team. It´s not an edge case by any means, just search the words "AMD flickering" on linux subreddits and there are literally dozens of reports about it every month. I see people with APU's complaining a lot also, and Vega.

What are you guys doing to make the driver more stable? Performance is pretty good overall, the driver isn't bad by any means, but if you want to keep customers for more than a generation you can't cultivate old issues that long.

</rant>

[Masush5]

<rant>

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=102646 - Still waiting someone from AMD to talk about this 2 year old issue. I'm less and less inclined to ever buy another AMD gpu at this point. Every bug I´ve had reported by me and others requires constant begging to get any fix, meanwhile we constantly see a lot of work on the driver which means those issues that should be blockers have no priority at all for the dev team. It´s not an edge case by any means, just search the words "AMD flickering" on linux subreddits and there are literally dozens of reports about it every month. I see people with APU's complaining a lot also, and Vega.

What are you guys doing to make the driver more stable? Performance is pretty good overall, the driver isn't bad by any means, but if you want to keep customers for more than a generation you can't cultivate old issues that long.

</rant>

Yeah, multi-monitor causes flickering on wayland (which compositor doesn't matter) since at least 2 major kernel releases. I use X11 so it doesn't actively affect me, but it's still concerning that known issues stick around for so long. Also, suspend gets broken on almost every release, one of the reasons i opted for an intel gpu in my new laptop again, 'cause there i need suspend to work; on my desktop i don't really care.

btw.: my gpu is RX580

[Brutalix]

I also use x11 and have not noticed the issue on my multi monitor setup. I do have varied assortments of gfx cards in var. comp. I'll give wayland anorher try and see if also can report the same issue.

Kind regards
Brut

[clapbr]

Yeah, multi-monitor causes flickering on wayland (which compositor doesn't matter) since at least 2 major kernel releases. I use X11 so it doesn't actively affect me, but it's still concerning that known issues stick around for so long. Also, suspend gets broken on almost every release, one of the reasons i opted for an intel gpu in my new laptop again, 'cause there i need suspend to work; on my desktop i don't really care.

btw.: my gpu is RX580

Workaround for my issue is force memory clock to high (hotter and more power wasted), if it was a laptop I would have RMA'ed the laptop. Suspend for me also stop working every other release, but luckily I don't need it.
I have 3 machines with RX580's in my house currently. Two of them with displays running below their higher refresh rate, and my gaming machine with the high clock workaround. They are 75hz, 120hz and 144hz 1080p monitors that are essentialy crippled in some way by amdgpu. Should've looked at bugzilla before buying those I guess.

[aufkrawall]

Already using 5.2-wip kernel branch since it exists, no real issues to report atm. with Polaris @ 73Hz display.

[clapbr]

Already using 5.2-wip kernel branch since it exists, no real issues to report atm. with Polaris @ 73Hz display.

needed an edid hack right?

[aufkrawall]

needed an edid hack right?

I need that anyway to overclock the display to anything higher than 59.95Hz.

[jrdoane]

<rant>

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=102646 - Still waiting someone from AMD to talk about this 2 year old issue. I'm less and less inclined to ever buy another AMD gpu at this point. Every bug I´ve had reported by me and others requires constant begging to get any fix, meanwhile we constantly see a lot of work on the driver which means those issues that should be blockers have no priority at all for the dev team. It´s not an edge case by any means, just search the words "AMD flickering" on linux subreddits and there are literally dozens of reports about it every month. I see people with APU's complaining a lot also, and Vega.

What are you guys doing to make the driver more stable? Performance is pretty good overall, the driver isn't bad by any means, but if you want to keep customers for more than a generation you can't cultivate old issues that long.

</rant>

I had a 390 and the displays would flicker due to clock changes. In particular, the lowest power state would cause it because I think that would also cause the memory clock to drop as well and for multiple monitors, you really need the clocks to stay a little higher than the lowest level. On my 390, the solution was to add the kernel flag amdgpu.dpm=1 which uses the newer powerplay code instead of the older code which would not only flicker, but would crash my machine. Before that, I would force clocks to high performance which hurts heat and power consumption, but worked.

With that said, I got a Vega 64 and it's a completely different story. I've had zero issues with the Vega card while driving a 4k and two 1080p displays. I haven't seen so much as a flicker with the newer GPU. I also don't tend to use Wayland either, but I don't get flickering with it, just some 3d applications don't like to run. All in all, Vega support is far better than support for Hawaii.